Seal for metal band strap fasteners or the like



Aug. 29, 1961 H. R. PAPY ETAL SEAL FOR METAL BAND STRAP FASTENERS OR THE LIKE V Filed June 29, 1959 w n if v 8 v n a 1 3 z, WM? 02 mm "#40 Way 1, LN. 5 0 2% Z 5 JNVENTORS:

Jiugh R Bapy,

Wpl-l'er G. Oprspn, 2 E dw rfl C. Row leg, (W, 9.17 W

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 29,, 1961 2,998,154 SEAL FOR METAL BAND STRAP FASTENERS OR THE LIKE Hugh R. Papy, R0. Box 1263, Walter C. Carson, PD.

Box 1381, and Edward C. Rowley, Timber Structures,

all of Savannah, Ga.

Filed June 29, 1959, Ser. No. 823,438 7 Claims. (Cl. 217-'66) The present invention relates to seals for metal band strap fasteners or the like and, more particularly, to seals for use in anchoring a flexible metal hand strap to a plate fixedly secured to the wall of a box and provided with a strap receiving slot.

In the copending application of Hugh R. Papy, Walter C. Carson and Edward C. Rowley, Serial No. 731,920, filed on April 30, 1958, for Box-Like Structure, United States Patent No. 2,896,808, an improved type of collapsible box is disclosed. In the aforementioned application, a box composed of a plurality of panels is provided with a novel means of assembling the same, the means being such that the panels are not damaged when disassembled and, thus, may be reused many times. Such a box-like structure includes panels provided at its corners with substantially planar metal plates fixedly attached thereto. The metal plates are provided with struck out cross bars or the like defining strap receiving slots and when the panels are assembled as a box, straps extending from one plate to another retain the panels as a composite rigid unit. The straps are anchored to the plates by means of a clip extending over the free end of the strap, the clip being crimped to the strap by conventional crimping and tensioning tools. The aforementioned application relates to formation of a box-like structure from panels by providing the metal plates at the corners of the panels and fastening them together by flexible metal band straps in a particular manner. The present invention is adapted for use with such a structure as well as any box-like structure wherein metal plates are used to receive and anchor the ends of flexible metal band straps.

An object of the present invention is to provide a seal for metal band strap fasteners or the like which may be easily applied to the metal band and crimped thereon in such a manner that the seal is held in substantially flush relationship with the walls of the box.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a seal for use in combination with a flexible metal band strap and a metal plate fixedly attached to a box and having a strap receiving slot, the seal being provided with novel means for holding the same in close proximity to the metal plate after the seal has been applied to the flexible metal band.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a seal for metal hand strap fasteners used in binding box-like structures, the metal seal being of an improved construction whereby it is not damaged when the box-like structure is transported or is stacked one upon another.

These and other objects of the present invention will appear more fully in the following specification, claims and drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a fragmentary portion of a box showing the improved seal of the present invention clamped to the end of a metal band and anchoring the same to a metal plate;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the seal of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a blank used in forming the seal of the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is a view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG- U'RE 1 but with the strap and clip or seal eliminated for purposes of clarity.

Referring to the drawings wherein like character or references numerals represent like or similar parts, a fragmentary portion of a box construction utilizing the present invention is disclosed in FIGURE 1. It will be understood that this box construction is of the type in the aforementioned Papy et a1. application, Serial No. 731,920, and for this purpose, the specification of that application forms a part of the present disclosure. Of course, modifications in the box-like structure are capable with the use of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The box structure is generally designated by the numeral 10 and includes side panels 14, a top panel 16, and a bottom panel (not shown) generally of substantially the same configuration, as the top panel. The panels 14 and 16 may be made of plywood reinforced by wood braces along each of their edges as well as cross braces intermediate the edge braces. Although the box disclosed in the drawing is made primarily of wood, it is, of course, within the scope of the present invention that the panels of the box could be made of material other than wood, such as fiberboard or the like. As shown in FIGURE 1, the panels 14 and 16 are provided at their corners with a flat substantially planar rigid plate 18 made of metal or the like and fixedly attached to the panels by means of U-shaped staples 20 extending through a plurality of pairs of apertures 22. Other means such as screws or the like may be used to rigidly attach the metal plates to the panels if so desired.

Each plate 18 is provided with a struck out cruciform portion providing cross bars 26 and 28 which define strap receiving slots 30 and 32 respectively. In addition to providing the cruciform struck out portion 24, plates 18 are provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced arcuate beads 34, the beads being stamped into the plates simultaneously with the stamping out of the cruciform portion 24. The beads 34 extend upwardly from the planar surface of the plates 18 a distance slightly greater than the off-set portion of the struck out cruciform portion 24, the ends of the beads 34 terminating short of the slots 30 and 32 as shown at 36. The beads or protuberances 34 further strengthen the plate 18 and also provide a means of protection for the cruciform struck out portion 24 as well as protection for the flexible metal band straps 38. As described in the aforementioned Papy et al. application, Serial No. 731,920, the beads 34 take the weight off the box or any other object that is placed on the box so that it protects the cruciform portion 24 and the straps 38. The beads provide a means whereby the boxes may he slid relative to one another without the straps 38 becoming entangled and broken.

While the metal plates 18 have been described with a cruciform struck out portion 24 as defining the strap receiving slots 30 and 32, it is, of course, within the scope of the present invention that the metal plate may be provided with just a single cross bar band defining a strap receiving slot or a number of cross bars defining strap receiving slots as desired. The purpose of the disclosure of the cruciform struck out portion 24 is merely for description and not for limitation of the invention.

As shown in FIGURE 1, one end of the strap 38 may be attached to one of the plate members 18 by passing over the cruciform portion and then extending back through the strap receiving slot thereof. The other end of the flexible band is then passed through a strap receiving slot with its free end extending out. A clip generally designated 40, is slipped onto the free end portion of the strap 38 and then clamped in place while tension is simultaneously placed on this strap. Any conventional tool for tensioning and simultaneously clipping the clip to the banding strap may be used.

The particular clip 40 of present invention is of an improved type in that it is provided with means which will hold it tightly against the metal plate 18 when it is crimped onto the strap 38. As best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the clip is provided adjacent one of its ends with a reversely turned hook 42, the hook 42 being on the under surface of the clip. In more detail, when the seal or clip 40 is slipped onto the free end of the banding strap 38 and the tensioning tool apply tension to the strap as well as crimping the clip as indicated at 44, the hook 42 engages underneath the plate 18 and against the wall of the panel on which the plate is mounted. By having a hook 42 engage under the plate, the clip 40 is held tightly against the plate so that when the assembled box is shipped or moved about a warehouse the clip with the end of the band can not bend out and be snapped off by engagement with another box.

Referring now to FIGURE 4, a metal blank is shown from which the clip or seal it) is formed. The metal blank is rectangular shape and is folded so that its two edge portions 44 and 46 overlap as shown in FIGURE 2.

In other words, the blank is folded along the dotted lines 48 and 50 to form a body portion 52 of the clip 40. One

of the edge portions 44 is provided with a tab which is folded along the lines 54 and defines the hook 42..

As shown in FIGURES l and 5, the metal plate 18 may be provided with a rectangularly shaped'hole or aperture 56, one edge 58 of the aperture closest to the entrance to the slot being spaced therefrom, a distance substantially equal to the length of the body portion 52 of the clip 40. The edge 58 is under cut by bevelling the same as-shown in FIGURE so that the hook 42 is directed between the panel 14 and the metal plate 18 when the clip is being applied to the free end of the strap.

It Will be noted that the clip 40 can have its hook fit over the edge 60 of the plate 18 when the edge is spaced from a strap receiving slot a distance substantially equal to the length of the body 52 of clip 40. Such an edge 60 may be under cut by a bevel 61 as shown in FIGURE 3 so as to assist the hook 42 of the clip to enter between the metal plate 18 and the panel. 7

Having set forth the nature, objections and advantages of the present invention, it will now be perceived and obvious that the invention is subject to some changes, without departing from the principle thereof. For this reason, the terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, the scope of the invention beingdefined in the claims.

We claim:

1. In combination: a box-like structure comprising a plurality of abutting panels; means for fastening said panels together and making the structure a composite rigid unit, said means including planar metal plates fixedly secured to each of'the said panels, each of said metal plates having a crossbar off-set from its planar surface and defining a strap receiving slot, at least one flexible metal strap, said flexible metal strap having its ends slipped through the strap receiving slots of said metal plates, means for fixedly anchoring the ends of saidstrap to said metal plates, said last mentioned means including at least one clip member clamped to at least one of the ends of the strap extending out of a strap receiving slot of one of said metal plates, and means on said clip member coacting with said one metal plate to hold the same tightly against said one metal plate when clamped to the end of the strap.

2. A combination of the character described in claim 1 wherein said means on said clip for holding the same tightly against said one metal plate includes a hook extending from said clip and received between said one metal plate and the panel on which said one metal plate is secured.

3. A combination of the character described in claim 1 wherein said last mentioned means includes a hook on the underneath surface of said clip, said hook extending toward said strap receiving slot and beneath said one metal plate when said clip is positioned .on and clamped to the free end of said strap.

4. A combination of the character described in claim 1 wherein said last mentioned means includes a hook on said clip and wherein said one metal plate includes a hole for receiving said hook therethrough and between the one metal plate and the box-like structure when said clip is positioned on and clamped to said strap.

5. In combination: abox-like structure comprising a plurality of abutting panels; means for fastening said panels together and making the structure a composite rigid unit, said means including a substantially planar metal plate fixedly secured to one of said panels of the box-like structure, said metal plate having a cross bar off-set from its planar surface and defining a strap receiving slot; a

flexible metal strap having a free end extending through and out of said strap receiving slot; and a sealing clip clamped to the free end of said strap and being larger than said strap receiving slot, said sealing clip including a hook on one of its ends reversely turned, said plate member having an edge in an area adjacent said strap receiving slot bevelled whereby said hook on said clip is slidably received between said plate and the panel of said box-like structure to which it is secured when said clip is crimped onto the free end of said strap.

6. In combination: a box-like structure comprising a plurality of abutting panels; means for fastening said panels together and making the structure a composite rigid unit, said means including a substantially planar metal plate fixedly secured to one of said panels of the box-like structure, said metal plate having a cross bar ofl-set from its planar surface and defining a strap receiving slot, said metal plate also having a rectangularly shaped aperture therein spaced from and in alignment with said strap receiving slot, an edge of said aperture closest to said strap receiving slot being under cut; a flexible metal strap having a free end extending through and out of said strap receiving slot; and a sealing clip clamped to the free end of said strap and being larger than said strap receiving slot, said sealing clip including a hook on one end thereof, said hook being received in the aperture of said plate and extending between said plate and the panel of said box-like structure to which it is secured when said clip is clamped to the end of said strap.

7. A combination of the character described in claim 6 wherein said edge of said aperture is positioned a distance from said strap receiving slot substantially equal to the length of said clip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,726,968 Walker Sept. 3, 1929 2,343,525 Blodgett Mar. 7, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 128,167 Great Britain June 19, 1919 

